Are Bath Bombs Good For Your Skin? Pros and Cons

Are Bath Bombs Good For Your Skin? Pros and Cons

They look beautiful, smell gorgeous, can turn your at-home spa nights into truly pampering experiences, and they also make a perfect addition to gift baskets. But are they completely safe for your skin, or is there a possibility they could be harmful and damaging?

Soaking in a tub of warm, colorful, fragrant water sounds divine on most days. As fun and relaxing as they are, bathing products, including bath bombs, often contain ingredients that can irritate and dry out your skin.

This can be a problem, especially for people whose skin is already sensitive. You don’t necessarily have to give up on bath bombs completely. You should, however, pay attention to what they contain before choosing which ones to pick.

Are all bath bombs bad for your skin?

Just like most cosmetic products, bath bombs are not necessarily either good or bad for your skin. It all depends how often you use them (you shouldn’t be using them every day) and even more importantly - what they contain.

Most fizzy bath bombs contain a combination of baking soda and citric acid. When they come in contact with water, these two ingredients neutralize each other, so they are safe to use in your baths.

Furthermore, many bath bombs add nourishing and rejuvenating components to your bath water. These products often contain moisturizing plant oils and butters, restoring sea salt or anti-inflammatory colloidal oatmeal. Any of these would be a great addition to your whole body care routine.

And let’s not forget scents - bath bombs can be super relaxing and energizing, adding an aromatherapy quality to your bath time. Unfortunately, the same scents can also be irritating to your skin, so it might be a better idea to keep the scents in your bath products to a minimum.

Which ingredients should you avoid in bath bombs?

The problem is - bath bombs often do contain abrasive ingredients that can be quite sensitizing. Colors and fragrances, glitter, talc, preservatives - they all potentiality can cause redness, rash, itching, and dry skin.

Even if the label states ‘all natural’. Not only artificial fragrances, but even many natural essential oils can irritate the skin, especially if your skin is already prone to irritations.

This also works for the sea salt many bath bombs contain. Sea salt can work wonders for your skin, as it is purifying, exfoliating, and full of minerals but it can also damage the skin’s lipid barrier if overused.

Luckily, there are plenty of choices on the market that don’t contain any of the potentially harmful components. You can find bath bombs specifically formulated for sensitive or dry skin, fragrance, and dye-free products, as well as those packed with anti-inflammatory and moisturizing ingredients.

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Unless your skin is very sensitive, there's no need to avoid bath bombs altogether. Just pay attention to what your bath bombs contain and choose skin-friendly options. That way you can still enjoy relaxing baths and your skin can get some pampering as well.

Xoxo,

Allison